The present invention generally relates to portable buildings and, more particularly, to a level transition device for portable buildings.
Portable buildings, such as small garden sheds or yard barns, are popular means for providing an enclosed storage area or workspace near one""s home. Typically, the portable building is either constructed on-site or constructed off-site and transported to the site where the building is to be used. In either case, the building is typically constructed so that it simply rests upon a relatively flat piece of ground, with no masonry foundation. Not only does this reduce cost, but it allows for easy movement of the building to another location in the future.
One drawback of the lack of a finished foundation is that the floor threshold at the entrance to the portable building is raised significantly above the level of the surrounding ground, typically about eight (8) inches. While this height differential is not significant for persons walking into and out of the portable building, it does represent a significant obstacle to rolling implements, such as lawn mowers, wheelbarrows and hand trucks.
There is therefore a need to a device that will allow for rolling implements to easily ingress and egress to and from a portable building. The present invention is directed toward meeting this need.
The present invention comprises various combinations of 2xe2x80x3xc3x974xe2x80x3, 2xe2x80x3xc3x976xe2x80x3, 2xe2x80x3xc3x978xe2x80x3, 2xe2x80x3xc3x9710xe2x80x3 and 2xe2x80x3xc3x9712xe2x80x3 members stacked on top of one another with one longitudinal edge of each member co-aligned. In this configuration, the non-aligned longitudinal edges form shallow steps which act as a ramp, allowing wheeled implements to easily transition from ground level to the floor level of the portable building.
In one form of the invention a level transition device for a portable building is disclosed, the level transition device comprising a first board having cross-section dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x974xe2x80x3 and cut to a predetermined length; a second board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x976xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a third board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x9710xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a fourth board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x9712xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length wherein the first, second, third and fourth boards are stacked such that a longitudinal edge of each of said boards are substantially co-aligned; a first hole drilled through the first, second, third and fourth boards; a second hole drilled through the first, second, third and fourth boards; a first bolt disposed through the first hole; a first nut secured to the first bolt; a second bolt disposed through the second hole; and a second nut secured to the second bolt whereby the first, second, third and fourth boards are held securely together.
In another form of the invention, a portable building is disclosed comprising an enclosure; an opening in the enclosure; a sill disposed in the opening; a level transition device coupled to the sill, the level transition device comprising a first board having cross-section dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x974xe2x80x3 and cut to a predetermined length; a second board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x976xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a third board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x9710xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a fourth board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x9712xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length wherein the first, second, third and fourth boards are stacked such that a longitudinal edge of each of said boards are substantially co-aligned; a first hole drilled through the first, second, third and fourth boards; a second hole drilled through the first, second, third and fourth boards; a first bolt disposed through the first hole; a first nut secured to the first bolt; a second bolt disposed through the second hole; and a second nut secured to the second bolt whereby the first, second, third and fourth boards are held securely together.
In yet another form of the invention, a level transition device for a portable building is disclosed, the level transition device comprising a first board having cross-section dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x974xe2x80x3 and cut to a predetermined length; a second board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x978xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a third board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x9712xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; wherein the first, second, and third boards are stacked such that a longitudinal edge of each of said boards are substantially co-aligned; a first hole drilled through the first, second, and third boards; a second hole drilled through the first, second, and third boards; a first bolt disposed through the first hole; a first nut secured to the first bolt; a second bolt disposed through the second hole; and a second nut secured to the second bolt; whereby the first, second, and third boards are held securely together.
In another form of the invention, a portable building is disclosed comprising an enclosure; an opening in the enclosure; a sill disposed in the opening; a level transition device coupled to the sill, the level transition device comprising a first board having cross-section dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x974xe2x80x3 and cut to a predetermined length; a second board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x978xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a third board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x9712xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; wherein the first, second, and third boards are stacked such that a longitudinal edge of each of said boards are substantially co-aligned; a first hole drilled through the first, second, and third boards; a second hole drilled through the first, second, and third boards; a first bolt disposed through the first hole; a first nut secured to the first bolt; a second bolt disposed through the second hole; and a second nut secured to the second bolt; whereby the first, second, and third boards are held securely together.
In another form of the invention, a level transition device for a portable building, the level transition device comprising a first board having cross-section dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x974xe2x80x3 and cut to a predetermined length; a second board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x976xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a third board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x978xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a fourth board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x9710xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a fifth board having cross-section dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x9712xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; wherein the first, second, third, fourth and fifth boards are stacked such that a longitudinal edge of each of said boards are substantially co-aligned; a first hole drilled through the first, second, third, fourth and fifth boards; a second hole drilled through the first, second, third, fourth and fifth boards; a first bolt disposed through the first hole; a first nut secured to the first bolt; a second bolt disposed through the second hole; and a second nut secured to the second bolt; whereby the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth boards are held securely together.
In yet another form of the invention, a portable building is disclosed comprising an enclosure; an opening in the enclosure; a sill disposed in the opening; a level transition device coupled to the sill, the level transition device comprising a first board having cross-section dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x974xe2x80x3 and cut to a predetermined length; a second board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x976xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a third board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x978xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a fourth board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x9710xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; a fifth board having cross-sectional dimensions of approximately 2xe2x80x3xc3x9712xe2x80x3 and cut to the predetermined length; wherein the first, second, third, fourth and fifth boards are stacked such that a longitudinal edge of each of said boards are substantially co-aligned; a first hole drilled through the first, second, third, fourth and fifth boards; a second hole drilled through the first, second, third, fourth and fifth boards; a first bolt disposed through the first hole; a first nut secured to the first bolt; a second bolt disposed through the second hole; and a second nut secured to the second bolt; whereby the first, second, third, fourth and fifth boards are held securely together.